Tag: Keith Vaz

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-06-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps are being taken to address understaffing at the East Midlands Ambulance Service.

Ben Gummer

NHS Improvement advises that East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust has made good progress in implementing its recruitment plan for frontline staff. During 2015/16, the Trust recruited and educated 350 whole time equivalent frontline staff, against a recruitment plan target of 342. However, the Trust experienced a higher level of staff turnover than expected (11% against a target of 8%).

The Trust is addressing this through a number of initiatives, including the introduction of the role of technician, an intermediate qualified role between emergency care assistant and paramedic. It has agreed a funded education and career progression route in partnership with Health Education England (East Midlands) to support existing technicians to become registered paramedics. A three-year contract will support 48 Trust technicians in 2016/17 with further cohorts commencing in 2017/18 and 2018/19.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-09-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many staff of his Department are deployed outside the UK working on issues relating to Yemen.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

It is not possible to identify a precise figure for staff working on Yemen who are deployed outside of the UK, but the UK diplomatic network does regularly raise the situation in Yemen with their host government and other interlocutors, including the devastating humanitarian and economic situation. As the penholder in the UN Security Council on Yemen, the UK also plays an important role in rallying the international community behind the efforts of the UN Special Envoy, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, in trying to reach a peaceful agreement between the Yemeni parties. Peace talks remain a top priority and we will continue to engage with key partners through our overseas network.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-02-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent steps the Government has taken to (a) monitor and (b) counter the activities of Al Qaeda and Daesh in Yemen.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We continue to work with regional and international partners to tackle the threat posed by terrorist organisations including Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and Daesh-Yemen. For operational reasons we cannot comment in detail on this activity.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-02-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much compensation the former Chairman of East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust will receive as a result of her resignation from that post.

Jane Ellison

The NHS Trust Development Authority advises that the Chair of the East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust has not resigned. However, the Chief Executive, Sue Noyes, will be leaving her post in June 2016 and will be paid in line with the terms of her contract.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-03-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) DESMOND and (b) DAFNE programmes, in which areas, are provided by clinical commissioning groups in England.

Jane Ellison

This information is not held centrally.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-05-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how the Government is ensuring accountability for (a) abuses of the ceasefire and (b) breaches of international law by all parties of the conflict in Yemen.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We encourage all parties to respect the ceasefire that began on 10 April and worked closely with the UN to achieve this. The commitment of the parties to continue the work of the Coordination and De-escalation Committee, established at the talks in December, is positive and we encourage all parties to work towards a sustainable peace. We are aware of reports of alleged violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) by actors in the conflict and take these very seriously. We regularly raise the importance of compliance with International Humanitarian Law with the Saudi Arabian Government and other members of the military coalition and continue to engage with them on this. We have also raised our concerns with the Houthis on the importance of compliance with IHL.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-06-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what awareness-raising activities his Department has undertaken in support of Diabetes Awareness Week 2016.

Jane Ellison

Public Health England’s (PHE) One You and Change4Life campaigns encourage people and families to make lifestyle changes to improve their health and reduce the risk of conditions such as diabetes on an ongoing basis.

PHE had scheduled Facebook posts raising awareness of Diabetes Awareness Week 2016.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-09-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many meetings have taken place between Ministers of his Department and Ministers of governments which support the current government of Yemen since January 2016; and in how many such meetings was the civil war in Yemen discussed.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

As set out in UN Security Council Resolution 2216, President Hadi and his government are the legitimate authority in Yemen, and the UK regularly discusses the situation in Yemen with international partners including at Ministerial level. Most recently during the UN General Assembly week in New York, I hosted two meetings on Yemen which involved Gulf Foreign Ministers, the US and the UN Special Envoy for Yemen. The UK remains committed to finding a political resolution to the current conflict and to foster peace and stability for all Yemenis.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-02-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of Daesh fighters in Yemen.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The political crisis in Yemen remains extremely concerning, particularly the risk that terrorist organisations such as Daesh-Yemen continue to exploit the deteriorating situation to consolidate their support base and capabilities in Yemen. Throughout 2015, we saw an expansion of Daesh-Yemen, albeit starting from a small base. We continue to work with regional and international partners to tackle the threat posed by terrorist organisations including Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and Daesh-Yemen. For operational reasons we cannot comment in detail on this activity.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-02-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress has been made in standardising the border control queue measurement system across airports, ferry ports and rail terminals.

James Brokenshire

Guidance on how queue measurements should be taken at UK border controls was updated in November 2015, following a review. This standardises the approach required for measuring queues. This guidance will be placed in the House Library.